High-density multi-fiber adapter housings

ABSTRACT

An adapter housing for receiving a plurality of multi-fiber connectors includes a rectangular, box-like housing structure having opposing side walls and a back wall that to adapted to mount in a 2-U space in an equipment rack, wherein the housing structure has a width of no greater than about 17.75 inches and a height of no greater than about 3.50 inches. A bank of adapters is provided for receiving multi-fiber connectors. The bank of adapters includes individual connector-adapter-connector locations that together receive at least 200 multi-fiber connector pairs within the housing structure.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/770,835 filed on Feb. 28, 2013, the content of which is relied upon and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present specification generally relates to housings for optical fibers, and more particularly, high-density multi-fiber adapter housings.

BACKGROUND

Typical optical telecommunication systems and networks include one or more telecommunications data centers that provide large numbers of optical and electrical cable connections that join various types of network equipment. The typical system also includes a number of outlying stations that extend the system into a network. Examples of network equipment include electrically-powered (active) units such as optical line terminals (OLTs), optical network terminals (ONTs), network interface devices (NIDs), servers, splitters, combiners, multiplexers, switches and routers, fanout boxes and patch panels. This network equipment is often installed within cabinets in standard-sized equipment racks. Each piece of equipment typically provides one or more adapters where optical or electrical patch cables (“jumper cables”) can be physically connected to the equipment. These patch cables are generally routed to other network equipment located in the same cabinet or in another cabinet.

A common problem in telecommunications systems, and in particular with optical telecommunications equipment, is space management. Current practice in telecommunications is to utilize standard electronics racks or frames that support standards-sized stationary rack-mounted housings of various widths. Vertical spacing has been divided into rack units “U”, where 1 U=1.75 inches. The housings may be fixed, slide-out, or swing-out patch/splice panels or shelves. However, the configurations and sizes of present-day housings for optical telecommunications equipment have been defined largely by the properties of the fiber optic cables that connect to the devices supported by the housings. In particular, the configurations and sizes have been established based on the particular ability of the fiber optic cables and optical fibers therein to interface with the devices without exceeding the bending tolerance of the fiber optic cable and/or the optical fibers. This has resulted in telecommunications equipment that occupies relatively large amounts of space, and in particular a relatively large amount of floor space in a central office of a telecommunications network. It has also led to data center patch panels being increasingly overpopulated due to connector and cable volumes.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment, an adapter housing for receiving a plurality of multi-fiber connectors includes a rectangular, box-like housing structure having opposing side walls and a back wall or door that is adapted to mount in a 2-U space in an equipment rack, wherein the housing structure has a width of no greater than about 17.75 inches and a height of no greater than about 3.50 inches. A bank of adapters includes at least one grouping of a plurality of adapters. Each adapter is configured to receive two multi-fiber connectors, and is aligned side-by-side in the grouping with major side walls of adjacent adapters facing each other. The bank of adapters includes individual connector-adapter-connector locations of at least 200 multi-fiber adapters configured to receive up to 2400 connector pairs within the housing structure.

In another embodiment, an adapter housing for receiving a plurality of multi-fiber connectors includes a rectangular, box-like housing structure having opposing side walls and a back wall or a door that that mounts in a 2-U space in an equipment rack, wherein the housing structure has a width of no greater than about 17.75 inches and a height of no greater than about 3.50 inches. At least one shelf is located within the housing structure. An adapter row is supported by at least one shelf. The adapter row includes at least 40 individual connector-adapter-connector locations at least one connector-adapter-connector location having a multi-fiber adapter configured to receive two multi-fiber connectors

Additional features and advantages of the claimed subject matter will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part, will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing the embodiments described herein, including the detailed description which follows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description describe various embodiments and are intended to provide an overview or framework for understanding the nature and character of the claimed subject matter. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the various embodiments, and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate the various embodiments described herein, and together with the description serve to explain the principles and operations of the claimed subject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an adapter housing according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of an adapter and MTP-type connectors for use with the adapter housing of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a grouping of adapters according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein;

FIG. 4 illustrates an extendable shelf of the adapter housing of FIG. 1 according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein; and

FIG. 5 illustrates schematically a bank of adapters for use in the adapter housing of FIG. 1 according to one or more embodiments shown and described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments described herein generally relate to high-density multi-fiber adapter housings that are used to receive and house a plurality of multi-fiber connectors (MTP based connectivity) to establish and maintain connections therewith. An array or set of tightly packed adapters provide individual connector-adapter-connector locations that provide a relatively high density of connector/adapter pairs in a housing structure adapted to be mounted in a 2 U space of an equipment rack, which will be described in greater detail below.

Referring to FIG. 1, a multi-fiber adapter housing 10 includes a rectangular, box-like housing structure 12 having a top portion 14 and a bottom portion 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the top portion 14 is removeable from the bottom portion 16 (e.g., using releasable fasteners) to provide access to an interior 18 of the housing structure 12. One or both of the top portion 14 and bottom portion 16 may have one or more moveable panels, doors or other opening features for providing access to the interior 18 of the housing structure 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the top portion 14 includes a ceiling or top wall 20 and a back wall 22 connected to the top wall 20. The bottom portion 16 includes a floor or bottom wall 23 and opposing side walls 24 and 26 extending upwardly therefrom. When the top portion 14 and the bottom portion 16 are connected together, a 2-U sized housing structure 12 may be provided adapted to be mounted in a 2-U space of an equipment rack. A “U” space referred to herein may be defined as having a width W of no more than about 17.75 inches and a height H of no more than about 1.75 inches. The width W may be the available space between the inside dimensions of uprights of the equipment rack. Thus, a 2-U space, as used herein, refers to a space having a height H of no more than 3.50 inches for the given width W of 17.75 inches.

The multi-fiber adapter housing 10 includes a plurality of extendable shelves 30 that each carries at least one adapter row 32 of individual adapters 34 providing connector-adapter-connector locations. The adapters 34 may be single fiber or multi-fiber adapters. Multi-fiber adapters may be MTP-type adapters. As used herein, an “MTP-type adapter” refers to any type of multi-fiber adapter. As used herein, the term “connector-adapter-connector location” refers to a location in which a MTP-type adapter may be positioned, which is configured to accept two multi-fiber connectors such that the multi-fiber connectors may be connected together to transmit a fiber optic signal therebetween using the MTP-type adapter. In the illustrated embodiment, the adapter housing 10 includes five extendable shelves 30 and five adapter rows 32 in the interior of the 2-U housing structure 12. The adapter rows 32 together provide a bank 36 of adapters 34 having adapters 34 each providing an individual connector-adapter-connector location in the interior 18 of the 2-U housing structure 12. As can be seen, a single fiber optic cable 40 may enter the housing structure 12, for example, through side wall 26. The fiber optic cable 40 may separate into multiple, multi-fiber ribbon cables 42, each having an MTP-type connector 46. The MTP-type connectors 46 are received by the individual adapters 34 for connection with other MTP-type connectors 48. The type of cables 40 entering and exiting the adapter housing 10 will depend on the ultimate end use; however, in the illustrated embodiment, there may be one cable 40 for each shelf 30 and associated adapter rows 32 (e.g., dividing into 40 multi-fiber ribbon cables 42).

Referring to FIG. 2, an individual adapter 34 is illustrated that provides a connector-adapter-connector location 50 for operably connecting the MTP-type connectors 46 and 48. The adapter 34 includes an adapter body 52 having a first connector end 54 for receiving the connector 48 and a second connector end 56 for receiving the connector 46. The adapter body 52 further includes a first minor sidewall 58, a second minor side wall 60, a first major side wall 62 and a second major side wall 64 that extend between the first and second connector ends 54 and 56. A connector channel 66 extends between the first connector end 54 and the second connector end 56. Guide slots 68 and 70 may be provided on the first minor side wall 58 and second minor side wall 60 of the adapter body 52 and may extend through channel 66 from the first connector end 54 and the second connector end 56, respectively, which can be used to accept the MTP-type connectors 48 and 46 to connect the optical fibers (e.g., 12, 24 or more optical fibers). In this regard, the cable 42 and cable 72 may be terminated with the MTP-type connectors 48 and 46 and the MTP-type connectors 48 and 46 may then be received by the adapter 34 within the connector channel 66 to connect the optical fibers in cable 42 to the optical fibers in cable 72. In some embodiments, the guide slots 68 and 70 may be configured to receive the MTP-type connectors 48 and 46 in a particular orientation only to reliably achieve the connection.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a grouping 80 of the adapters 34 is illustrated. As can be seen, the adapters 34 can be oriented vertically with a long axis of the guide slots 68 and 70 (FIG. 2) oriented in vertical direction. Such a vertical orientation can facilitate a higher density of the adapters 34 within a U space. In the illustrated embodiment, the adapters 34 are aligned side-by-side with first and second major walls 62 and 64 of adjacent adapters 34 facing each other. Therefore, the grouping 80 is oriented such that the first and second minor side walls 58, 60 of the adapters 34 are in a vertical position, for example, at the top or bottom of the grouping 80. Orienting the adapters 34 in the grouping 80 in this manner, facilitates the alignment of the highest number of adapters 34 in a certain width in the interior 18 of housing structure 12. In some embodiments, adjacent adapters 34 of the grouping 80 may be connected together, for example, by welding or adhesive. In other embodiments, the adapters 34 of the grouping 80 may be formed together as an integral group, for example, by a molding process. As can be seen, each of the adapters 34 of the grouping 80 provides a connector-adapter-connector location 50 where the connectors 46 and 48 are connected together. In the illustrated example, the grouping 80 includes ten adapters 34 and ten corresponding connector-adapter-connector locations 50. The grouping 80, in other embodiments, may include from about two adapters 34 to about 40 adapters 34. More than 40 adapters 34 may be used in a grouping in some embodiments, for example, depending on the width of the housing structure 12 (FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 4, one of the extendable shelves 30 (FIG. 1) is illustrated in isolation. In this embodiment, the shelf 30 includes a single adapter row 32 of the grouping 80 of the individual adapters 34. The number of groupings 80 the shelf 30 may accommodate depends, for example, on the number of adapters 34 per grouping 80 and the width of the housing structure 12. In the illustrated embodiment, for a housing adapted to be mounted in a 2-U space of 17.75 inches wide, the shelf 30 may accommodate four groupings 80, each grouping 80 including ten individual adapters 34. As described above, each adapter 34 provides a connector-adapter-connector location 50. Thus, the shelf 30 supports 40 or more, such as 40 connector-adapter-connector locations 50 that can connect the connectors 46 and 48.

The extendable shelf 30 may include any variety of connectors and routers for connecting the groupings 80 and routing the cables 42 and 72. For example, the extendable shelf 30 may include extension members 90 that include routing guides 92 disposed on the extension members 90 to provide for routing for the cables 72 connected to the adapters 34 and the cables 42. Referring also to FIG. 1, the extendable shelf 30 may also contain shelf rails 94. The shelf rails 94 can be configured to be received in shelf guides 96 disposed in the housing structure 12 to retain and allow the extendable shelves 30 and the adapters 34 disposed thereon to move in and out of the housing structure 12. The extendible shelves 30 can be moved in and out of the housing structure 12 by their shelf rails 94 moving within the shelf guides 96. In this manner, the extendable shelves 30 can be independently movable within the shelf guides 96 in the housing structure 12. The shelf guides 96 may be disposed on both a left side end 100 and a right side end 102 of the extendable shelf 30. The shelf guides 96 may be installed opposite and facing each other in the housing structure 12 to provide complementary shelf guides 96 for the shelf rails 94 of the extendable shelves 30 received therein. If it is desired to access a particular extendable shelf 30 and/or a particular adapter 34, a pull tab 106 of the desired extendable shelf 30 can be pulled forward to cause the extendable shelf 30 to extend forward out from the housing structure 12. When access is completed, the extendable shelf 30 can be pushed back into the housing structure 12 wherein the shelf rails 94 move within the shelf guides 96 disposed in the housing structure 12.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a schematic representation of a bank 120 of adapters 122 is illustrated. The bank 120 of adapters 122, as described above, provides connector-adapter-connector locations 124 for connecting MTP connectors. The bank 120 of adapters has a width W (e.g., of about 15 inches) and a height H (of about 3 inches) that is sized to fit within a 2-U space. The bank 120 of adapters 122 is formed of multiple rows 126, 128, 130, 132 and 134 of the individual adapters 122. In this embodiment, each row 126, 128, 130, 132 and 134 includes the same number of individual adapters 122, such as 40 or more. In other embodiments, certain ones of the rows 126, 128, 130, 132 and 134 may include different numbers of adapters 122. In the bank 120 of FIG. 5, there are five rows 126, 128, 130, 132 and 134 adapted to have 40 adapters per row for a total of 200 adapters in a 2-U space. For an MTP-type connector that includes 12 optical fibers, there may be 2400 optical fiber pairs or 4800 optical fibers coming into or leaving from the adapter housing 10 (FIG. 1).

As used herein, the terms “fiber optic cables” and/or “optical fibers” include all types of single mode and multi-mode light waveguides, including one or more optical fibers that may be upcoated, colored, buffered, ribbonized and/or have other organizing or protective structure in a cable such as one or more tubes, strength members, jackets and the like. Likewise, other types of suitable optical fibers include bend insensitive optical fibers, or any other expedient of a medium for transmitting light signals. An example of a bend insensitive optical fiber is ClearCurve® Multimode fiber, commercially available from Corning Incorporated.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter. Thus, it is intended that the specification cover the modifications and variations of the various embodiments described herein, provided such modification and variations come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An adapter housing for receiving a plurality of multi-fiber connectors, the adapter housing comprising: a rectangular, box-like housing structure having opposing side walls and a back wall adapted to mount in a 2-U space in an equipment rack, wherein the housing structure has a width of no greater than about 17.75 inches and a height of no greater than about 3.50 inches; and a bank of adapters comprising at least one grouping of a plurality of adapters, wherein each adapter is configured to receive two multi-fiber connectors, and wherein each adapter is aligned side-by-side in the grouping with major side walls of adjacent adapters facing each other, the bank of adapters comprising individual connector-adapter-connector locations of at least 200 adapters configured to receive up to 2400 connector pairs within the housing structure.
 2. The adapter housing of claim 1, wherein the individual connector-adapter-connector locations are configured to receive MTP-type connectors.
 3. The adapter housing of claim 1, further comprising one or more shelves, the bank of adapters comprising multiple adapter rows, wherein at least one adapter row is supported by the one or more adapter shelves.
 4. The adapter housing of claim 3, wherein the one or more shelves are slidably supported within the housing structure.
 5. The adapter housing of claim 4, wherein each shelf includes a single adapter row.
 6. The adapter housing of claim 5, wherein each adapter row includes at least about 40 individual connector-adapter-connector locations.
 7. The adapter housing of claim 1, further comprising at least one MTP-type multi-fiber adapter in at one of the individual connector-adapter-connector locations of the bank of adapters.
 8. The adapter of claim 7, wherein the multi-fiber adapter is configured to receive a multi-fiber connector comprising at least 12 optical fibers.
 9. An adapter housing for receiving a plurality of multi-fiber connectors, the adapter housing comprising: a rectangular, box-like housing structure having opposing side walls and a back wall that mounts in a 2-U space in an equipment rack, wherein the housing structure has a width of no greater than about 17.75 inches and a height of no greater than about 3.50 inches; at least one shelf within the housing structure; and an adapter row supported by the at least one shelf the adapter row comprising at least 40 individual connector-adapter-connector locations at least one connector-adapter-connector location having an adapter configured to receive two multi-fiber connectors.
 10. The adapter housing of claim 9, further comprising multiple adapter rows forming a bank of multi-fiber adapters for receiving multi-fiber connectors, the multi-fiber adapters comprising individual connector-adapter-connector locations that together receive at least 200 multi-fiber connector pairs within the housing structure.
 11. The adapter housing of claim 9, wherein the individual connector-adapter-connector locations are configured to receive MTP-type connectors.
 12. The adapter housing of claim 9, wherein the housing structure comprises five shelves, wherein each shelf includes a single adapter row.
 13. The adapter housing of claim 12, wherein each adapter row includes at least about 40 individual connector-adapter-connector locations.
 14. The adapter housing of claim 9, further comprising at least one MTP-type multi-fiber connector connected to one of the individual connector-adapter-connector locations.
 15. The adapter housing of claim 9, wherein the multi-fiber connector comprises at least 12 optical fibers. 